TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021 ANZAC DAY MILITARY BUS DRIVERS STRIKE PAGE 5 IN THE CAPITAL LEADERS HISTORY TOUR PLEDGE CLIMATE COOPERATION PAGE 9 PAGE 14 ‘WE’RE GOING TO FIGHT THIS Live cattle exporter calls for Government to reconsider ban by Murray Robertson A GISBORNE-based live cattle exporter has come out firing over the Government’s decision to ban the practice and has produced video evidence that disputes claims of shipboard animal cruelty. BeefGen director Patrick Lane says the Government has to reconsider the move in the interests of the national and regional economies. Live cattle exports from New Zealand will be banned from some time in 2023. BeefGen, which has its offices and live embryo and semen export facility in Glenroy Road at Whangara, has sent two live cattle shipments to China so far. The first shipment was in April last year during the Covid-19 lockdown when 3665 head were sent to China. Two animals died on the voyage. The second shipment of 3995 head went in January and no animals died. “We have our next shipment of 4100 head set to go in July and we are lining up a fourth shipment of 5700 for early September,” Mr Lane said. “The cattle have come from all around New Zealand, but in the second shipment, 1133 of the cattle came from this district. “Those Gisborne cattle were worth $1.387 million to the region’s farmers.” The live export trade from New Zealand to China was worth $500 million last year. Mr Lane said BeefGen was a New Zealand-based company handling live “As the video and pictures show, they’re GET THE FACTS: Long-time Whangara cattle breeder Patrick Lane (right) wants the cattle exports and germplasm export to together with other cattle in a big pen, Government to reconsider the live cattle export ban due to animal cruelty issues. China. with lots of room to move around. BeefGen director Mr Lane and chief executive Alex Feng have video footage of the It got “rave reviews” out of China for its “They are extremely well fed. Just look conditions the animals they ship (below) which shows “they are not ill-treated at all”. first two shipments, he said. at how healthy they look.” Above picture by Paul Rickard, below picture from video footage “We use the best and latest livestock Mr Lane said a group of live exporters ships for our shipments and video would be making representations to evidence shows Government in the clearly that the hope of a change of animals are not We use the best and heart. ill-treated at all on ‘ The National their 15-to-18-day latest livestock ships for our Animal Welfare sea voyage. shipments and video evidence Advisory Committee “It is completely shows clearly that the animals had its AGM in wrong for the are not ill-treated at all... Wellington on May 12 Government to ’ and the issue would believe claims all — BeefGen director Patrick Lane be debated there, said the 500-kilogram Mr Lane. cattle shipped are “One of the issues housed in tiny stalls measuring just 1.9 we have about the Government’s decision square metres. was the lack of consultation with the “It’s not like that on the ships we use at industry. all,” Mr Lane said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............11 Television ...........18 Racing ......... 22-23 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............12 Literature ...........19 Sport ............ 24-28 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National ...6-10, 16-17 World............ 13-15 Classifieds ... 20-21 Weather .............27 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Friday, April 23, 2021 Waka ama analogy a winner by Matai O’Connor “Just do it,” is Mairangi’s advice to any students thinking about entering the Race Unity Speech Awards. HOW people in New Zealand work together on issues The Gisborne Boys’ High School Choir performed like race relations was a main theme of Gisborne Boys’ twice on the night in their first public performance of High School student Mairangi Campbell’s winning 2021 the year. Race Unity Speech Awards. After Mairangi was announced as the winner, they Mairangi, a Year 12 student, addressed the topic Kia performed a haka. kotahi te hoe - Paddle as one to about 70 attendees at Maxine Maurirere of the Tairawhiti Baha’i Community the event held at Tairawhiti Museum. said the speech awards and hui provided a platform for He will go to Auckland to take part in the national youth and young adults to freely express themselves. semifinals on May 7, along with more than 20 other “We know we can no longer be bystanders to students from around the country. racial prejudice and injustice. We If successful at that level he see youth as having a role that will go on to the national final on We know we can no is particularly important as they May 9. longer be bystanders prepare to inherit this ever-changing Mairangi was “ecstatic” with ‘ world. All of us must come to terms his win. He competed in the Race to racial prejudice and with this issue but we see youth Unity Speech Awards last year but injustice. We see youth as having the fortitude to truly came second “so it feels great to as having a role that is champion better race relations in win this time”, he said. particularly important as Aotearoa, and lead the way.” “This speech competition is Mrs Maurirere said more New more unique than others as it they prepare to inherit this Zealanders were concerned with focuses on race relations and its ever-changing world how to create real unity rather than a good chance for me to share — Maxine Maurirere’ increasing the polarisation often my opinion and thoughts on the seen. topic.” “While our views and experiences His speech began with an analogy about trying to differ widely, we are all responsible for dismantling paddle to this beautiful place but being halted by those racism and helping to build a just and united in the waka who were not helping, or were purposely community. In reality we — the diverse peoples of this paddling backwards rather than forwards. planet — are all part of one race — the human race.” “I used my real world experiences of doing a lot of The speech contest judges were district council waka ama. A big part of the speech was about pushing senior Maori engagement officer Walton Walker, former the idea of not being a bystander so I thought hard Indigenous Rights Commissioner Karen Johansen and about how I could convey that to the audience but with Turanga FM parakuihi (breakfast) host Rahia Timutimu. my own flair,” Mairangi said. Initiated by the NZ Baha’i Community in 2001, the In Auckland, Mairangi will attend the annual Race Race Unity Speech Awards now run in 14 regions from Unity Hui — an event which provides a collaborative Northland to Dunedin. space where young people aged 15-to-30 can deepen NZ Police have been the principal sponsors since their understanding of race relations issues and share 2008, with further sponsorship coming from the Human their views on how progress can be achieved. Rights Commission, the Office of Ethnic Communities, The primary sponsors for the hui are Multicultural Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori (Maori Language NZ, the NZ National Commission for UNESCO and Commission), and others. PADDLE AS ONE: Mairangi Campbell, winner of the regional Manukau Institute of Technology. The awards are also supported by the NZ Federation heat of the 2021 Race Unity Speech Awards. Kia kotahi te hoe - “It’s always good to listen to others sharing of Multicultural Councils and Speech NZ. Paddle as one was the topic. Mairangi advances to the national their thoughts and ideas on things,” Mairangi said. semifinals to be held in Auckland next month “Sometimes they might say something that you wish Mairangi’s speech is available in The Gisborne Picture by Karin Mackill you had thought of. I look forward to those moments. Herald online version of this story Website offers temporary HONOURED: Former East Coast man Keith Ingram, now of Half Moon Bay, Auckland, free access to military this week received his Member of New Zealand Order of Merit records to mark Anzac Day (MNZM) New Year Honours award from Governor-General KIWIS and Aussies will have With Ancestry offering online Dame Patsy Reddy. Originally free access to military records until access to an extensive collection of from near Tikitiki, he was honoured for services to the Monday in commemoration of Anzac New Zealand military records and fishing and maritime industry. Day. with more than 40 million individual Mr Ingram was recognised Ancestry, the online military military records pertaining to New as a maritime industry and records website, has opened up its Zealand, Australia and the UK, this recreational fishing advocate. entire collection of New Zealand and collection is a valuable resource He has been a member of Australian military databases to New to anyone wishing to find out more the New Zealand Recreational Zealanders free of charge. about their family history. Fishing Council for the past 35 This includes all of the site’s New Apart from the purely military years, including 12 years as Zealand and Australian military information — who enlisted, where president, and is a past president history collections, as well as select and when, who served in what of the New Zealand Marine UK military collections within which capacity and what happened to Transport Association, where he information on Commonwealth them — many of the records show contributed significantly to the soldiers may be found.